Gluing mechanism



Oct. 30, 1945.

c. z. MONROE 2,387,929

GLUING MECHANISM Original Filed June 13, 1940 Patented Oct. 30, 1945 GLUING MECHANISM Charles Z. Monroe, Detroit, Mich., asslgnor to The American Paper Bottle Company, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Toledo,

Originalapplication June 13, 1940, Serial No. 340,358. Divided and this application August 13, 1941, Serial No. 406,705

3 Claims.

This invention relates to mechanisms for applying coatings of 'glue or other materials in liquid or. plastic form to the surfaces of paper articles and relates particularly to a mechanism of this gen ral type which is designed and intended for, se in the application of glue to the surfaces of the bottom end fiap's of tubular paper containers just prior to movement of such end flaps into container bottom sealing position,

In Patent No. 2,047,891, granted July 14, 1936, there is described and illustrated a paper container of tubular type, square in cross section and the ends of which are sealed. One end, i. e., that end which is to subsequently become the container lower end, is provided with fourbottom flaps, two major bottom flaps and two minor bottom flaps and, in the actual bottom closing operations, one side of each of the major bottom flaps is coated with an adhesive substance, following which the two minor bottom-flaps are folded into bottom closing position, one major bottom flap then folded down on the two minor bottom flaps, the glue coated surface of this major bottom flap making contact with both minor bottom flaps, the second major bottom flap being finally folded down over the first mentioned major flap and pressure then applied to consolidate the several flaps into one ri id integral bottom structure. The present invention relates particularly to a mechanism for conveniently applying to one surface of each of the major bottom flaps of a container of the type described a coating of glue or other adhesive and by means of which this operation may be performed with great rapidity and in a thoroughly efllcient manner. One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is 'an elevation of the gluing mechanism, showing portions of its supporting means;

Figure 2 is a section on line 2--2 of Figure 1; Figure-3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2 and Figures 4 and 5 are, respectively, sections on lines I4 and 55 of Figure 1.

It will be appreciated that in the usual case the gluing mechanism is positioned to function as one element of a larger machine and the mechanism which has been selected for disclosure by way of example is of a type which may advantageously form part of a machine for automatically'erecting and forming containers from container blanks, coatin them interiorly and exteriorly with a leak-proofing substance, charging them with a commodity to be dispensed, such for instance as milk, and finally closing and sealing the same. Portions of the side frames of such a machine are indicated at I 0 and II of the drawings and the various operating parts of the gluing mechanism are supported from these side frame members upon bridging means which includes brackets l2 and i3 bolted to the side frame members, respectively, and a supporting bar 14 the ends of which are bolted to the brackets l2 and6l3, respectively, by securing bolts indicated atl For gluin simultaneously the two major bottom flaps of a container such as that shown in Patent No. 2,047,891, previously referred to, two spaced glue-applying rolls are utilized, these rolls being indicated at l1, IT in the drawings. A container body is indicatedat l8 and the oppositely extending major bottom flaps of the container are indicated at I811 and The rolls I1 for applying adhesive to flaps lBa and I8!) are identical, and likewise the means associated with each of these rolls for supplying the same with adhesive. Therefore, it will only be necessary to describe one. glue-applying roll with its associated cooperating elements.

Both glue-applying rolls I! are mounted upon a common shaft l9 which is extended laterally through one or the other of the frame members In or Hand the outer end of which is operatively connected to means for rotating'the same, preferably to an electric motor by means of which the rolls may be rotated at a constant desired an gular velocity. Each glue-applying roll l'l works between side plates 20, disposed at right angles to the axis of the roll, which tightly engages the and surfaces of the roll, the roll and the side plates, together with inclined plate 2|, hereafter designated a spreader plate, defining a substantially V-shaped trough for the reception and storage of a small body of a suitable adhesive, as indicated at A in Figure 2. As the roll l1 revolves in the. direction of the arrow indicated at B in Figure 2, it will carry upon its surface, after passing under the spreader plate 2|, a thin layer of adhesive and the thickness of this layer is con- 'itrolled by the position of the lower edge of the spreader plate with respect to the cylindrical surface of the roll. The spreader plate is attached, by means of a screw 22, in a block 23 which is slidable in a recess formed in the supporting bar M, the block being retained in this recess by means of the pin 24 which projects through a cylindrical aperture formed in the rear of the block. A spring 25 normally tends to urge the block upwardly into contact with a plate 26 l8b respectively.

plate may be moved downwardly by rotating pin 24, the enlarged and threaded upper end or which passes through a threaded aperture in the upper plate 26.

The lower shoulder of the threaded portion of pin 24 bears upon the upper surface of block 23 and. when the pin 24 is rotated in one direction the block and spreader plate will be moved downwardly against the action of the spring and, when rotated in the opposite direction, will be lifted by the spring so as to follow upwardly the movement of the annular shoulder at the lower end of the threaded portion of the pin. Acover plate 30 is provided to prevent contamination of the adhesive A.

In passing through the gluing means the container end flap l8'a moves along a predetermined pathway indicated by the chain line C in Figure 2, the upper surface of this. end flap being engaged by the glue covered surface of the glue roller directly above it and the undersurface of tainer bottom flap is in contact with the surface of the gluing roll I! the undersurface of the flap will be firmly supported by the pressure roll 3i.

The degree of pressure applied by roller 3| against the work may be regulated as desired and like- 1 wise the thickness of the film of adhesive upon the a surface of the gluing roll may be regulated by precisely adjusting the position of the spreader plate 2|. By adjusting the positions of the spreader plate and pressure roll with respect to 5 each other the desired film thickness of adhesive may be obtained.

the same flap being engaged and supported by a pressure roll 3|, the distance between the surfaces of the pressure roll and gluing roll being normally adjusted so as to be less than the thickness of the paper from which the end flap IBa is fabricated.

It will be perceived upon an inspection of Figures 1 and 2 that the pressure roll 3| is mounted upon a shaft 32 which is pivotally hung by depending arms 33 from a supporting bracket 34 so that the pressure roll is adjustable along an arc centered on the axis of swing of arms 33, which axis is indicated at 35 in Figures 4 and 5. Normally, however, the pressure roll is resiliently held in the position in which it is shown in Figure 2 by a spring 36 one end of which bears against the swinging bracket which includes arms 33 and the other end of which bears against an adjustable nut 31 threaded upon the lower end of a stud 38 the upper end of which stud is attached to a stationary frame part. pressure roll support is limited in its movement under the influence of spring 36 by an adjustable contact screw 40, having a head 4| and a lock nut 42, the inner end of bolt 40 normally engaging a flat surface formed on the frame part l3. Hence the normal position of the surface of the pressure roll with respect to the surface of the gluing roll may be very definitely fixed without, however, making it impossible for the pressure roll to back away from the gluing roll whenever a major bottom flap is passed between them. Predetermined pressure of the upper surface of'each major bottom flap against the gluing roll is thus assured. As will be observed from an inspection of Figure 3 the side plates 20 are retained in position by spring pressed detents 44, so as to be readily removable, the springs also serving to lightly urge the plates 20 against the ends of the gluing roll, to maintain tight contact between the plates and the gluing roll ends at all times.

In the operation of the device, container bottom flaps, the upper surfaces of which are to be glue coated, successively pass by each glue rollin the specified manner, the path of movement of one such flap being indicated by the chain line C.

However, the swinging" This application is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 340,358, filed June 13, 1940.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is: I 1. In a glue applying mechanism in combination, a support, a roll mounted on the support for rotation about a fixed axis, a block provided with a spreader plate mounted for sliding movement toward and away from the periphery of the roll, resilient means urging the spreader plate away from the roll, a pressure roll shiftable with respect to said first-mentioned roll for maintaining a moving sheet to be coated against the surface of the first-mentioned roll, and manually operable means for advancing'the spreader plate toward the first-mentioned roll against the action of said resilient means.

2. In an adhesive applying mechanism, in combination, a support, an adhesive applying roll mounted on the support for rotation about a fixed axis, a spreader plate supported for adjustment radially of said roll, end plates for maintaining, in association with said spreader plate, a body of adhesive against said roll, spring pressed detents for urging said end plates against the ends of the roll and detachably securing them in such position, and means shiftable with respect to said roll for maintaining a moving sheet to be coated against the surface of said roll.

3. In an adhesive applying mechanism, in combination, a support, an adhesive applying roll mounted on the support for rotation about a fixed axis, a spreader plate supported for adjustment radially of said roll, end plates for maintaining, in association with said spreader plate, a body of adhesive against said roll, spring pressed detents for urging said end plates against the ends of the roll and detachably securing them in such position, a pressure roll cooperating with the adhesive applying roll, and means for shiftably mounting said pressure roll with respect to said adhesive applying roll including a spring to urge the pressure roll against the adhesive applying roll and a limit contact member to limit the shifting movement of the pressure roll, to maintain a moving sheet to be coated with the adhesive against the adhesive applying roll.

CHARLES Z. MONROE. 

